Depending on your needs, you may require an egg donor to help build your family. And fortunately, there are incredible women who want to give the gift of life by helping a couple or individual start a family. But when it comes to egg donation, the price tag can be one of the biggest deciding factors in moving forward for intended parents. That’s why it’s important to understand the costs associated with the egg donation process as well as ways you can help keep them down.

Compensation for Egg DonorsAn egg donor’s fee can vary. The fee for a first-time egg donor is $8,000. Experienced egg donors typically have higher fees. But note that Circle adheres to the guidelines established by the ASRM Ethics Committee, which limits egg donor compensation to $10,000. Keep in mind that selecting an experienced donor can ultimately lower the IVF costs as her fertility has been proven. Educate yourself on choosing an egg donor to help make this decision.

Travel ExpensesYour egg donor will need to travel to your IVF clinic for the medical screening and egg retrieval, and intended parents are responsible for those travel expenses. This includes a stipend for each day your egg donor travels and payment for lodging, if necessary.

For intended parents who need to cut back on costs, there is the option to work with an egg donor who is local to them. You can also aim to minimize egg donation costs by choosing local monitoring facilities close to your egg donor’s home and booking travel as early as possible.

Financing OptionsA newer option for U.S. intended parents is egg donation financing. More and more agencies are offering this type of program. However, not all include coverage for out-of-pocket expenses or agency fees. For example, Circle’s partnership with American Healthcare Lending allows intended parents to borrow up to $100,000 for all expenses related to egg donation.

Regardless of the cost-saving options you choose, we always recommend that you start saving immediately after making the decision to move forward with egg donation. Many intended parents save money for egg donation through budgeting and making some spending sacrifices. However, it’s clearly worth it in the end!
Kayla Mossien is the Communications Coordinator at Circle Surrogacy. Mossien received her bachelor’s in communication and is the former editor-in-chief of Parentguide News. She’s excited to help create loving families by spreading Circle’s message through content creation, social media and marketing campaigns.